The girl slowly zoned out from her surroundings, her mind becoming a mental blank as she stared into her cup of caramel coffee, watching as the slight haze of steam swirled upwards rather lazily. The cafe she and her friend had taken shelter in was eerily quiet without its usual jazz music coming from the intercom. The other girl's loud, obnoxious voice was the only thing breaking the silence of the dull café. It seemed as though she was telling a rather exciting story, but the blonde paid her no mind as she continued to gaze vacantly into the colored liquid.

 

"...Buahahaha! And then she was like ‘shut your ing face’ and starts swinging her arms like a retarded circus chimp. Hahaha! You should’ve seen it Jessi, it was in priceless," Tiffany laughed, her noisy tone slicing through the unsettling quiet that was draped over the cafe. She reached over to her soda and grabbed it forcefully before taking a huge swig from the glass bottle. She continued to chuckle by herself, not noticing that Jessica was texting on her phone.

 

After hitting the send button, Jessica crossed her legs, uncaring about the countless shopping bags that were thrown haphazardly under their table. Since Tiffany didn’t know where else to put their many shopping bags, she had initially attempted to shove them all under their table when they arrived at the café. Since the tiny space under their table couldn’t possibly accommodate every single bag, she left the other ones carelessly scattered around the café floor.

 

“…and what do you know, she actually fell for it. I gotta say, she really didn’t give a when she punched the fire extinguisher, but how the hell do you trip on an outstretched leg? That’s like the oldest trick in the book,” Tiffany snickered as she took another gulp of her soda. Her laughter died down when she finally noticed Jessica sending one of her texts.

 

“Did you text them already?”

 

Jessica put her phone back in her violet Louis Vuitton purse. “Of course. Do you expect me to carry my own bags back home? Because I’m sure as hell not going to risk straining myself.” Just as she finished speaking, 5 men clad in black suits and dark sunglasses burst into the café dramatically, ignoring the startled barista behind the counter. The tallest of the group walked towards Jessica, keeping his posture very stiff and his hands to his sides.

 

“You called for us ma’am?”

 

Jessica flicked her eyes downwards to the bags below her. “The usual. Take the bags back to the mansion and make sure Mother and Father don’t catch you. Also, remember to be discreet when you enter from the back door.”

 

The tall man in black bowed slightly at her words, “Understood ma’am.” Each man started to take as many bags as he could and they all quickly made their way out of the café as if they were on a secret mission.

 

“You know, it doesn’t matter how many times I see it, I still think that’s pretty cool. I wish I had bodyguards that would do anything I say,” Tiffany said in amusement as she turned around to watch the bodyguards jog away in a military like fashion.

 

The blonde let out a tired sigh. “I think it’s more of a burden. Father always wants them to be at least a few meters away from me. It took awhile to finally convince him to have security wait outside the buildings I’m in, but I still find it annoying,” Jessica frowned as she took a small sip of her coffee.

 

The supposedly sweet coffee tasted rather bitter on her tongue. She never really liked this café due to its bitter tasting coffees and high “gourmet” prices. She believed that if one was going to spend money, one should always spend it on quality and there was absolutely no quality in the coffee she was sipping. Tiffany, on the other hand, loved the cafe. The only reason she preferred that café over all the others was because ‘no one’s ever here, so we get the place to ourselves’.

 

“You know you didn’t have to buy this for me. I was going to pay for it myself,” Jessica said as she placed the bitter tasting beverage back onto its saucer. “And for that matter, you didn’t have to buy all of those clothes for me either. I never asked you to do that.”

 

“I know,” Tiffany said quietly as she reached out for Jessica’s hand. “I just wanted to buy them for you. You know, as a gift.” She tried to grab Jessica’s hand, but the blonde shook her head as she jerked her hand away.

 

“If I wanted them, I would have bought them myself. You know I can afford my own things,” the blonde snapped, placing her hands in her lap.

 

The smile on Tiffany’s face faltered a little. “I know that. It’s just that I wanted to do something nice for you. That’s all,” Tiffany said as she gave Jessica a small smile, but Jessica wasn’t moved by it.

 

“Whatever,” said Jessica as she leaned back in her chair a little bit.  “So about what just happened an hour ago, are you satisfied?”

 

Tiffany raised her eyebrow in disbelief. “Satisfied? About the dork? Didn’t you just hear what I told you about her going ape over her doll? I swear I should’ve recorded it so you could’ve seen for yourself.”

 

Tiffany chugged down the rest of her soda in an unrefined manner while Jessica put her elbows on the table and rested her chin atop her intertwined fingers. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you satisfied with yourself now?”

 

After placing the glass bottle gently on the table, Tiffany tilted her chair back and admired the bland ceiling tiles above them.

 

“You could say I’m satisfied, but I have a few more things I want to do to the dork first,” Tiffany said as she continued to avoid Jessica’s eyes by keeping her own focused on the blank ceiling. Jessica stared at Tiffany, wanting the other girl to meet her concentrated gaze.

 

“Okay then. You push her against a locker, you push her into a locker, you blackmail her with some sort of video, and you made her hurt herself in a department store. Normally when someone pisses you off, you take them to an alley, beat them up, and that’s the end of it. Am I right?” Jessica continued to burn a hole into Tiffany but Tiffany made no effort to respond.

 

“What I don’t understand is why you’re putting so much effort into this random girl. Would you stop being so cryptic and tell me what she did to you already?” Jessica said, tired of waiting for Tiffany’s response.

 

A moment of awkward silence passed. Tiffany eventually returned her chair back to its original position and met Jessica’s cold gaze. “Like I told you yesterday, all you have to know is that she did something unforgivable and I want to make sure she pays for what she owes.”

 

Jessica obviously didn’t buy Tiffany’s reasoning and let it show by adopting a slightly unamused expression. “Obviously this isn’t something like the ketchup incident in the cafeteria today.”

 

Shaking her head, Tiffany responded. “That was different. I knew that did that on purpose and I made sure he never pulled like that again. Same with that other girl last week. She thought I was another some dumb who would get on my knees for anyone and you remember what happened. She wouldn’t dare cross paths with me again.”

 

Jessica was amazed with her friend’s logic as she spoke. “All that guy did was accidentally spill a little ketchup on my Dolce & Gabbana mini skirt. You know I can just go buy another one. It was only ₩500,000. As for the girl, she was just correcting your Korean. But as always, I’m not questioning your reasoning. If that’s how you want to solve your problems, then go ahead. As long as you’re not killing yourself, I couldn’t care less.”

 

Tiffany lightly chuckled. “Wow, that’s probably the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say in a long time. And that’s saying something.”

 

Jessica ignored that last statement by focusing her attention to the empty tables beside them. Since Tiffany was in a good mood, Jessica felt that it was the right time to ask her about the incident. “Okay then. Let me ask you something else. Why did Kwon Yuri have to get arrested too? You never said she was going to get involved,” Jessica said as her voice softened at the end.

 

Tiffany mirrored Jessica’s earlier look of disbelief. “Kwon Yuri? Why would you even care about that darkie?”

 

Jessica’s cheeks reddened as she retorted, “I don’t care about her, but you told me you only planned to get that little girl arrested.”

 

Tiffany let a smirk of amusement fall upon her face. “I didn’t really plan for it, but it was just a roll of the dice. That’s what she gets for trying to help out the dork.” Tiffany grabbed her empty soda bottle as she considered buying another. It was then that an interesting thought popped into her head and she gave the unsuspecting blonde a hard stare.

 

“Hold up. You’re not starting to have feelings for that dark , are you?” Tiffany questioned her as calmly as she could, holding back the urge to throw the glass bottle at the wall in front of her.

 

Jessica was a little surprised by her sudden question and had to take a little time to formulate her answer. “It’s not that I care about her, but-”

 

A loud slamming sound echoed around the deserted cafe as Tiffany forcefully brought her soda bottle down onto the table, causing the shocked blonde to jump in her seat. It was a miracle that the bottle didn’t shatter into a million pieces.

 

“But nothing! Kwon Yuri is nothing but some depressed that would anyone’s to please them. You and I both know she can NEVER take care of you the way I can,” Tiffany asserted through clenched teeth. Something resembling fire could be seen burning in her dark, furious eyes.

 

Jessica sighed as she shook her head slowly, hoping to ease the sudden tension. “You and I both know I couldn’t care less about anyone in that school, let alone Kwon Yuri. I was just curious. You remember when you told me to keep her occupied in the bathroom? Apparently she was none the wiser about me keeping her away from the midget. She was pretty much in the dark until I eventually told the poor girl her friend was with the mean old mushroom. A girl that stupid means nothing to me.”

 

Eventually, Tiffany relaxed her grip on her soda bottle before taking her hands away from it. “Well that’s good to know,” she said with a satisfied smile on her face.

 

Busily inspecting her nails, Jessica continued, “Also, must you always create such fibs about people? I know that most of the lies you say might be true, but I know Kwon Yuri would never do something so whorish.” She lost interest in her nails and picked up her now room temperature beverage.

 

“Well I might not have ‘proof’ for it, but I’m pretty sure she herself out,” Tiffany said reassuringly. “By the way, what did you two talk about in the bathroom?”

 

“Hmm… I don’t remember. I complimented her hair, asked where she bought her shoes and other stuff you wouldn’t understand,” Jessica said before she forced herself to take another sip.

 

Tiffany shuffled in her seat as she leaned closer to her blonde friend. “You know, I didn’t really come here to talk about the darkie and the dork. I was hoping we could talk about ‘us’,” Tiffany said with a hint of softness in her words.

 

Jessica placed her empty cup onto the opal china plate below her. The bitterness of the supermarket quality coffee lingered in the back of . “Tiff, we’ve been over this before.”

 

“I know, I know. But come on Jessi,” Tiffany frowned as her eyes showed signs of slight frustration. “We’ve known each other for a long time. We enjoy each other’s company, we’re both very similar, and we both hate it here.”

 

Jessica scoffed impulsively before leaning forward, “Tiff. We’re just friends and I’ve told you before. I’m not interested in you.”

 

“Damn it Jessi, I know you like me! I know I don’t like guys and I’m pretty sure you don’t like guys either.”

 

“First off,” Jessica interrupted as she held her index finger up in front of Tiffany. “I never said I was gay. That was all your assumption. I’m just not interested in the whole ‘love’ thing. Plus most of the boys in school are always so proud of the ‘peanut’ they have between their legs that it annoys me. Second,” Jessica flicked a second finger up. “I only see you as a friend and that’s all. You’re more like my baby faced brother than a girlfriend.”

 

Tiffany’s face suddenly turned red from disbelief, “W-Why would you see me as a brother and not a sister?”

 

“Because,” Jessica leaned back to her original position, “you and I both know you’re not the most feminine girl out there. You could be if you just had a touch of mascara and maybe wear a skirt for once.”

 

A weary sigh left Tiffany’s mouth. “You know how I feel about girly stuff like that. But it doesn’t mean I’m a cross-dressing lesbo or anything,” said Tiffany as she also leaned back into her seat. “Will you ever give me a chance Jessi? Who knows, you might actually like it.”

 

Jessica sternly shook her head as if she wanted to end the conversation. “I mean it Tiff, I just don’t see you that way.”

 

An awkward silence filled the air again. Jessica didn’t mind it much since she was used to it by now and she figured that now would be the perfect time to ask Tiffany her long awaited question since there wasn’t much else she wanted to talk about.

 

“I want to ask you something else,” said Jessica as Tiffany gave her another questioning look. “You already know that girl is gay and you’re blackmailing her by exposing her secret to the entire school, yet you yourself are gay as well. Isn’t this some type of homo betrayal between gays?”

 

Tiffany was taken aback for a second; she wasn’t expecting her friend to bring this up. It only took her a few seconds to come up with a reply. “You don’t understand Jessi. This is something I have on her. Remember the file I told you about? I didn’t read it all, but from what I understood is that this girl is traumatized. This whole gay thing is like her kryptonite. The thought of people seeing her as a freak against God causes her to literally break down.”

 

“It still doesn’t explain why you’re putting so much effort into her. But whatever, I’m not going to pester you any longer. I’m sure you have enough on your plate right now. Especially since your father is coming to see you in-”

 

A loud thud bounced off the cafe walls as Tiffany cut through Jessica’s words yet again by slamming her fist on the table. Jessica didn’t flinch this time; she knew beforehand that she was eventually going to be interrupted.

 

“I know… I wish you wouldn’t mention him whenever I’m around,” said Tiffany sternly. She kept her clenched fist on the small dent she made on the metal table. She concentrated her glare on her fist as she took a deep breath and continued, “I don’t care what Daddy does with his life. Even if it’s about visiting me, it’s not my concern. He’s only obligated to check on me once a year because he has to. That and to make sure his business is running smoothly.”

 

Finally feeling pity for the other girl, Jessica placed her left hand onto Tiffany’s fist, causing the troubled brunette to unfurl her fingers in order to softly cup Jessica’s hand. “You know he’s your father Tiff. He’s the only family you have left.”

 

Tiffany tightened her hold on Jessica’s hand. “You remember what I told you, right? To him, I’m not even his daughter. I’m just a monster he’s forced to ‘take care of’ because the law says so. He’s just waiting until I turn 18 so he can just…” Tiffany couldn’t bear to finish her sentence; the lump in was causing her to release dry heaves. Tiffany felt her eyes getting watery and she responded to the embarrassing tears by harshly rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

 

Jessica could read the signs and quickly made her way behind her friend. She still wasn’t confident on how to comfort people, but according to TV she knew that placing her arm around her friend was a good start. She lightly patted Tiffany’s shoulder which helped the brunette to feel more secure.

 

After several deep breaths, she finally tapped Jessica’s hand, signaling to Jessica that she’s okay. “Feeling better?” Jessica said while looking down at her vulnerable friend.

 

Tiffany nodded her head slowly, “Yeah, thanks Jessi. I know it’s not easy to comfort me, but I appreciate you trying.”

 

“I’m sure everything is going to be fine Tiff,” Jessica said, trying to reassure her friend.

 

Tiffany took another deep breath as she continued. “I just don’t want to talk about it okay? It’s hard enough to keep remembering that we share the same blood.”

 

“Tiff... you do know it wasn’t his fault,” Jessica said, hesitating as she tried to choose her words carefully.

 

“Then what? Was it my fault? Because I’m sure as hell did my best to help her,” Tiffany argued rather defensively.

 

“You know that’s not what I meant Tiff! You and I both know there was nothing anyone could do to stop it,” Jessica said as she hoped she wouldn’t immediately regret her next words. “All of the money in the world couldn’t have saved her. It was her time.”

 

Tiffany held back the urge to flip over the small table. She felt like she wanted to punch the pretty blonde next to her, but she knew that her friend was telling the truth. “I know Jessi. I know… and I’m pretty sure… Mommy knew too.”

 

Tiffany kept a tight grip on the edge of the table; she breathed deeply and watched as the blood faded from her fingers due to all the pressure she was applying on the metallic edge. She felt as though she could just lose her mind entirely if she didn’t have a grip on something. It was as though the small table was anchoring her to sanity; just one slip and she would go insane.

 

“I did all I could for her even though I was young. What did that bastard do? Nothing! He just stood there. Waiting. He didn’t even lift a finger. He calls himself a man without even attempting to help his woman. Do you know what I call that Jessi? A coward. Something I’ll never let myself become,” Tiffany said as she fought the tears that desperately wanted to fall, “I really miss her Jessi. I really do. It’s just… I still can’t accept that she’s gone.”

 

Jessica didn’t know how to respond. There weren’t many things that fazed Jessica, but seeing her friend in so much pain made her heart feel slightly heavy. Taking the initiative, she grabbed the hand that was still mercilessly crushing the table and with a slight tug, she led the distraught brunette outside of the café.

 

“Where are we going?” Tiffany questioned as they walked towards a large black limousine with a few bodyguards standing around it.

 

“Where we always go after school. My house,” Jessica said as she tried to show a caring smile to the depressed brunette. “I’m sure I can sneak a drink from Father’s beer cellar. Does that sound good?”

 

Tiffany understood what her friend was trying to do and found no reason to turn down free alcohol. “Yeah, it would be a start. Thanks,” Tiffany said as she and Jessica made their way to the back of the limousine.

 

“Don’t worry Tiff. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the day. Okay? Your mother would be sad if she knew you were depressed,” Jessica said, knowing that her words were hitting Tiffany directly.

 

Tiffany nodded her head weakly, “Yeah, she would.” She reached her right hand into her pocket and kept a tight grip on her prized possession as she felt the limousine move forward.

 

Mommy, can you hear me? I’m sorry, but I can never forgive Daddy for what happened. I’m sure if you were still here, you’d probably be kind of sad if you saw how me and Daddy’s relationship is. But it’s okay, as long as I have Jessi with me. I’m sure you still remember her. I really wish it could go back to how it used to be, but I know that’s just another of my fantasies.

 

As for what you told me back then, I know it had to be a fluke. I’m going to do everything I can to fix it. Mommy… it was an accident right? It has to be. I know it is. It can’t be her… it can’t be… I’ll make sure it isn’t.

---

안녕! (annyeong)! How's everyone doing? Did you all 'still' miss me? Hahaha! Of course I always missed you! As of now I'm on vacation (or hoiday, however you want to say it) and I'm doing my best to write more chapters before I have to start worrying about school again. You also might have noticed, but my writing style has changed a little bit. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone, but I felt that this type of writing will improve the story. Also, I plan to do some editing on previous chapters. Nothing too major, but I want to rewrite it with my new writing style so that the whole story flows easily.

As always, I'm very grateful to all of my supportive readers. I know you've all been very patient and I'm very thankful for that. Just to let you know, since ya'll been so understanding, I plan to post another chapter this week so please look forward to it ^_^. As always comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome and if you really like this story, you don't have to, but an upvote would be really appreciative. Look forward to the next chapter! Take care everyone!